


Smoke and Guns

by NikAdair



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Character Death, Keith and Lance are engaged, Police AU, blood mention, haggar is a killer, keith loses everything, shiro is police chief, so much klance angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 08:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19314913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikAdair/pseuds/NikAdair
Summary: No matter what Keith had imagined would happen, what happened was never in the plan. What happened he can’t believe ever did. He’s absolutely destroyed.





	Smoke and Guns

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the day would go so wrong so fast. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would lose so much in one day. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that any of it would happen.

-.-.-

Keith’s day had started like any other - early morning run, watching the sunrise, and coming back home to Lance still sleeping peacefully. Keith leaned against the door frame, watching his fiancé sleep, a soft smile playing across his lips. This was always a benefit to waking up so early, getting to see Lance like this - at peace, features softened, vulnerable. It sent a pang through his heart for a second before it was replaced with love and affection.

He turned, heading to the kitchen. The microwave clock read 5:37, meaning Lance’s alarm would be going off in a few minutes. Keith knew how grumpy Lance was before he’d had his coffee, so he spent those few minutes putting a pot on. The smell of it was pleasant, and Keith took a second to take it in, sighing happily.

The sound of  _ Super Bass _ filtered into the kitchen, and Keith laughed. “How can he stand waking up to that every morning?” he whispered to himself, pouring two cups of coffee. He heard feet shuffling on the wood floor and the scrape of a chair behind him, and he turned to see a bed-headed Lance slouched over the table, his head resting on his arms.

“Morning there sleepy head,” Keith said, walking over and kissing the side of Lance’s head. Lance grunted, raising a hand and making a grabbing motion. Keith chuckled, pulling the mug just out of reach. “Nope! Only those in the land of the living get coffee.”

Lance turned his head to look at him, scowling. Keith held his gaze, a challenging smile on his lips. Lance glared at him and Keith looked back, refusing to look away. This went of for a minute before Lance gave in, raising his head and rubbing at his face before reaching up and taking his mug. Keith let him take it, and Lance took a long sip, his features twisting in disgust.

“Why is this so bitter?” he whined. He got up, shuffling to the fridge and pulling out the creamer, dumping a large amount into his coffee until it was just barely tan. Lance took a sip and sighed happily, sitting back down. “Much better.” Keith shook his head, sitting across from him. Lance eyed his cup, and Keith made a show of taking a long sip of his so called bitter coffee.

“You better wake up soon, we do have to leave for this station soon,” Keith said, his fingers tapping the side of his mug. Lance made a noise of acknowledgement, his head cocked slightly as he looked at Keith. “What? Is there something on my face?”

Lance smiled, shaking his head. “No. I’m just thinking about how much I love you and how I can’t wait until we’re finally married.” Keith smiled, warmth spreading through his body at the thought. “Lance and Keith McClain - the ultimate police pair.” Lance spread his arms wide in front of him, as though showing off a sign. Keith laughed, his smile growing wider.

“I think you mean Keith and Lance Kogane.” Lance dropped his hands, shaking his head. Keith nodded, hiding his smile in his cup.

“No, I definitely mean Lance and Keith McClain. There is no way I’m letting you get away with keeping your last name. You marry a McClain, you become a McClain. No ifs, ands, or buts about it,” Lance said, finality in his voice. Keith sighed, knowing that they still had another month before they had to settle on it. One way or another, he was going to get Lance to agree to becoming a Kogane.

Keith’s phone alarm went off, telling them they had half an hour before they had to leave. They both finished their coffees, making their way to the bedroom. Lance ran into the shower while Keith changed into his uniform. He took a second to look at himself in the mirror before he put on his shirt.

He had scars from previous assignments that hadn’t ended well. Most were knife wounds from gang fights. He turned to look at his back. There, on his shoulder, was a white scar, one that didn’t match up with his chest. He’d gotten it in a gunfight, pushing another officer out of the way and taking the bullet for him. He remembered being numb from the adrenaline, but then feeling the pain all at once on the way to the hospital. Lance had been worried sick about him.

His slipped on his under shirt on and buttoned his uniform top. Keith had a habit of pushing away the past and focusing on the present. And right now, and half naked, still damp Lance was his present. His muscled torso was bent over as he fished around their dresser for a shirt. “Babe, where’s my blue tank? I can’t find it,” Lance said, tossing out a grey shirt.

“Did you check the hamper?” Keith said, turning away to tie his shoes. He heard shuffling and a frustrated sigh. Keith looked over, seeing Lance standing and glaring at the hamper.

“It’s not here. Where is it?” Lance mumbled. Keith walked over, wrapping his arms around his waist. Lance jumped at the surprise movement, but sank back into his hold.

“You can wear any of the others for today and we’ll search the apartment for it tonight. Sound good?” Lance sighed in defeat, nodding. “Good, cause we have to leave in a few. So hurry up and get ready,” Keith said, kissing his shoulder before letting go and walking to the living room.

Lance was ready a few minutes later and they walked to the garage, hand in hand. It was Keith’s turn to drive, and he was taking advantage of the warm weather to take his motorcycle. He took the long way to the station, enjoying the feeling of Lance against his back, pressed tightly with his arms wrapped around his waist. He’d do anything to stay in this moment.

They got to the station too soon, and Keith parked the bike. They walked in, only to find the station in chaos. Lance was pulled aside by one of the detectives, leaving Keith to find Shiro. He was in his office, his back to the door, staring at various papers pinned to the wall.

“Shiro, what’s going on?” Keith said, walking up to him. Shiro turned, giving him a quick look, before turning back to the papers.

“We’ve got a break in the Haggar case. There was another murder down at the dock early this morning. She left before we could get a squad car down there, but a worker said he saw her and what car she was driving.” Shiro turned towards Keith, his eyes shining. “We ran the plates and traced it’s movements through the street cams. I think we finally caught her.”

Keith felt like the world was frozen. They’d been chasing Haggar for months, unable to pinpoint a location, and when they thought they had, she was always one step ahead of them. If they had the jump on her, they could finally end this nightmare. “Shiro, we can finally catch Adam’s killer,” Keith said, adrenaline making it’s way through his body. “We have to get out there now.”

He turned to rush out of Shiro’s office, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. “Keith, pause for a second. I already sent out a squad to keep an eye on the building. We need to finish questioning the worker and matching up his information with what we know. Once that’s done, we’ll go down and finally arrest her.” Shiro pulled him into a hug. “We’ll finally get the justice we deserve.”

-.-.-

It was early afternoon when everything was ready for the arrest. A police escort was given to the dock worker to ensure that he got home safe. Shiro had the rest of the officers in the station gear up - bullet proof vest, extra clips hooked to their belts. Keith hadn’t seen Lance since they’d gotten to the station that morning. He scanned the heads of the officers milling about the room. A mop of brown bobbed at the far side of the room, and Keith made his way over.

Lance was reading over the Haggar file, brows furrowed in concentration. Keith peeked over his shoulder, reading with him. “I’m sure you’ve read this file a million times,” he said, taking a step back as Lance jumped. He turned, looking at Keith, who smiled.

“I just wanted to make sure I refreshed on everything. Can’t be too careful,” Lance said, poking Keith’s chest where he should’ve had a bullet wound. Keith rolled his eye, lifting his shirt.

“I’ve got this bad boy this time. There’s no way anything bad will happen.” Lance snorted softly, taking pulling Keith’s shirt down and taking his hands. Keith looked at him, unable to read the cloud of emotions in his eyes.

“Promise me that no matter what happens today, you won’t try to be a hero,” Lance said, holding his hands tightly. Keith scanned Lance’s features, the seriousness in his voice matching the unreadable look in his eyes.

“I promise Lance. No matter what, I won’t be a hero.” Lance held his gaze a minute longer before leaning forward and giving him a long, slow kiss. Keith melted into it, stepping closer to him.

Lance pulled away, much to Keith’s disappointment, and leaned his forehead against his. “I love you Keith, more than absolutely anything. Please be safe out there.” Keith nodded, making a silent vow to stay alive for this man, the man he loved with everything he had.

“Alright men, it’s time we finally catch this murderer!” Shiro shouted from the front of the room. Shouts and cheers went through the room, and Keith and Lance broke apart, joining in. “You know your assignments. Scouting squads, you’re out first. The rest of us will follow after.” There was a moment of silence, filled with everyone’s excitement. “Let’s put an end to this nightmare!”

-.-.-

Everything was a blur as officers rushed about, walkie talkies were turned to various stations, and orders were relayed between everyone. Lance and Keith were part of the team in charge of actually arresting Haggar. They had the most important job.

“Our objective is to bring her back alive. But if she starts firing, do everything you can to bring her down,” Shiro said. His eyes glinted with anger, the same anger that Keith felt. “No matter what, she will not get away. This ends today.”

Adrenaline ran through Keith’s body as he and Lance piled into a squad car. Their escort drove quickly, taking sharp turns and avoiding traffic as best they could. Keith triple checked that his guns were loaded. “Keith, you’ve checked them three times now. They’re loaded and they’ll fire. Take a moment and relax,” Lance said, squeezing Keith’s knee.

“I know, but we’ve been chasing her for months,” he said, hatred filling his voice. “She killed Adam. I will not let her get away.” He clenched his fists, looking outside. Lance squeezed his knee again.

“You promised me you wouldn’t try to be a hero today. You better not go back on that promise.” Keith nodded, knowing that he couldn’t break that promise. “Good. Now look alive, we’re here.”

They parked outside of an abandoned warehouse. It looked to be an old storage facility, if the rusted barrels and rotting pallets were any indication. A fitting place for a witch of a woman. They got out, meeting up with Shiro. Diagrams of the building were laid out on the trunk of a nearby squad car, and their team was looking over it.

“Alright, Keith, Lance, you two will take the upper level. Be careful, since there seems to be various machines still up there. Keep your guard up, but chase her down to the rest of us.” Shiro looked up at them. “You two are our best shot at getting her. I’m counting on you.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about Shiro. Keithy boy and I will take her and down we’ll all be home for dinner tonight,” Lance said, throwing an arm around Keith’s shoulder. Keith shook his head, struggling to hide a smile. Shiro looked at them for a second before smiling softly. He turned his attention back to the team.

“You heard the man. We’ll all be home for dinner.” A round of laughter went around, and Keith looked up at Lance. There was a confident smile on his lips and pride in his eyes. It was comforting, relaxing, and Keith felt lighter. “Now then, Operation Take Down Haggar is a go.”

Keith and Lance rounded the building, climbing an old emergency ladder to the upper level. The setting sun cast long shadows across the floor, and dust motes filtered through the light, making it hard to see. They stood back to back, their guns in one hand and flashlights in the other, allowing them to see while still being able to fire their guns in needed.

They worked from the outside in, making sure to check every hiding spot they could find. It was quiet, the only sound being glass pieces breaking under their shows. It was eerie and unnerving. Keith kept thinking he saw things in his peripheral and was constantly aiming his flashlight in their blind spot.

A bang came from behind them and Keith whipped around, only to get knocked back by someone kicking him. He staggered, barely able to keep upright. His flashlight went skittering across the floor, sending light every which way before setting up against the wall behind him. Lance was nowhere in sight, and in front of him stood Haggar.

“My, this chase has been fun, hasn’t it?” she said, he voice like nails on a chalkboard. Keith stared at her, his hand inching towards his holster. Haggar’s eyes tracked his movements and she laughed. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to your partner.”

She moved to the side, revealing Lance on his knees, a gun pressed to his forehead. “You let him go!” Keith shouted, taking a step forward. Haggar moved behind Lance, moving the gun to the top of his head.

“Drop your gun or the boy dies,” she said. Keith froze, looking at Lance. He didn’t look scared, didn’t look defeated, despite the situation they were in. His eyes were filled with what looked like resolve.

“Shoot her Keith. You heard Shiro. No matter what happens today, she’s needs to go down.” Haggar laughed at Lance, pressing the gun into his head. “Shoot her.”

Keith shook his head, his breathing picking up. “I can’t. She’ll kill you. I can’t lose you too,” he said, his voice cracking. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

“You have to shoot her.” Lance’s voice broke at the end, and Keith could see tears in his eyes. “I’ll be okay. But you can’t let her go.”

Keith was torn between what he needed to do. His head kept telling him to shoot her, that she had to be taken out. But his heart told him he couldn’t risk losing Lance. His heart won out. With one hand raised, he used the other to take his gun out of its holster and flung it into the darkness before raising it.

“I got rid of the gun. Now let him go,” Keith said, his voice cracking. Haggar cocked her head to the side, as though contemplating their deal, before smiling a sickening grin.

“I think don’t think I will,” she said. Everything happened so fast that Keith still didn’t believe what he saw. Lance flung himself backwards, into Haggar’s legs, and she tumbled to the ground. The  _ crack _ of the gun sounded, but Keith couldn’t where the bullet had gone. He ducked, fumbling in the dark for his gun.

He could hear Lance and Haggar fighting, and he scrambled to grab his gun. He stood, running over to the two. Haggar lay unconscious, Lance sitting next to her, breathing heavily. “Old hag had more fight in her that I thought,” Lance said, laughing.

Keith sat next to him, his eyes scanning him for injuries. Everything looked fine. But then, why was the floor wet. He did another once over, his eyes zeroing in on where Lance was holding his stomach. Lance’s eyes traveled to the same place, and he laughed again, this one a bitter laugh.

“Of course she couldn’t let us out scot free,” he said, coughing. Lance winced, and Keith felt tears welling in his eyes.

“Damn it Lance, you told me not to be a hero, and here you go, trying to be a hero.” Keith’s voice cracked and broke. He ripped off the bottom of his shirt, using it to try to stop the bleeding. But it wouldn’t stop. There was so much blood.

Lance’s breaths sounded shallower and more ragged. “I had to make sure she wouldn’t hurt anyone else.” Lance coughed, grunting in pain.

“Shut up you idiot,” Keith said, tears falling. “You’re not going to die.” Lance laughed weakly, and Keith looked at him. His face was pale and his eyes seemed duller. There was a trail of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

“We did it, Keith. We really do make a good team,” Lance said, his voice barely above a whisper. He closed his eyes, and Keith screamed.

“Shiro!! Get up here!! Lance is hurt!! We need an ambulance!!” Keith yelled, sobs tearing through him. He looked at Lance, tears pouring down his face. “Don’t you die, damn it. You can’t leave me. You promised me you’d never leave me.” A violent sob ripped through him. “I’ll take your stupid last name. Just please don’t leave me...”

-.-.-

The day was grey, the threat of rain laying heavily on them. Keith stood next to Shiro, the rest of the precinct behind them. In front of them was a simple oak coffin, one side propped open. Purple and blue flowers surrounded the grave. To his right, a family stood there, hugging and crying. He knew every single member of the family. They were supposed to be his own in a month.

Everything blurred together.- the pastor giving his prayers, Lance’s friends and family giving their last words to him. Nothing could make it through to him. Shiro wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. Keith let him. He felt numb. Couldn’t even cry. He was just… numb.

The funeral felt like it went by in a blink of an eye, and soon Lance’s coffin was being lowered into his grave. It wasn’t until he could no longer see the coffin that Keith felt the first tear falling. It was like a dam had broken. They fell all at once and sobs wracked his body. Painful, gun wrenching sobs left him, and he sank to his knees.

Shiro held him close, and Keith cried and cried and cried. A never ending torrent of tears. Even after everyone had left, Keith sat there and cried into Shiro’s chest. It had started raining. Everything was drowned in tears and raindrops. Shiro picked him up and carried him to the car. Keith was too numb, too tired, too completely heartbroken to move. Even after the sobs stopped, the tears never did. They kept falling.

Shiro drove him home, offered to stay with him. But Keith shook his head, shuffling to his room. He fell onto the bed and curled up on Lance’s side. It stilled smelled like him. A new wave of hurt and pain washed over and Keith wailed.

He’d lost everything to that witch. He’d lost his family. He’d lost his partner. He’d lost his love. He’d lost his happiness. He’d lost everything, and no matter what he wished, there was no fixing it. Lance was gone, and no matter what he did, he would never come back. Keith cried and cried and cried, until he couldn’t cry anymore. Until he couldn’t stay awake. Until the only thing he could feel was numb. And he fell asleep alone, broken and destroyed. Lance was gone, and he was alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was supposed to be a completely different fic. I had planned for the “We did it, Keith. We are a good team” line to become sad, but it was never supposed to end with death. I’m so sorry it did. But thank you for taking the time to read this. And I’m so sorry if I made you cry.


End file.
